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I received my Pearl Flexi last week and was quite impressed with it. I was so impressed that I pulled out my REX Ambassador to compare shaves with the two. Both of these razors are essentially homages to the great Gibbs #17 and they are modern CNC machined razors. There is another, the Homelike Taiga, which I have test shaved but was not impressed enough with to buy (sorry @Clouds, it just did not do it for me). For the Taiga, the shave was very good, however the pieces for the head were hard to align and easy to loosen.
Both the Ambassador and the Flexi are good size razors, considering how short they are. The Ambassador is made of stainless steel, and the Flexi is made of brass. The Flexi is considerably thicker and as a result, it is almost an ounce heavier than the Ambassador. Both razors use a similar adjustment mechanism. The grip of the Ambassador is very deep and will never slip out of your hands. The Flexi's grip was similar to the stainless steel R41 I reviewed last week where there was a nice grip pattern, but it was not deep enough and especially for a razor that heavy, it was prone to slipping if you were not careful. The grip on the adjustment knob was different where the Ambassador continued the deep cut and spaced the horizontal lines very close together. the Flexi had the lines spaced further apart, however had the red dot on the side of the knob instead of near the top, making it easier to see when adjusting. The numbers were also etched a little darker on the Flexi, making it easier to read.
Both Ambassador and Flexi were etched on the bottom of the base plate. The Ambassador had a serial number with the last two characters going back to the original Gillette date code. The Flexi also had a set of numbers etched in, however I am not sure if it was a unique serial number.
My usual shave routine with an adjustable razor is to start with a 3.5 for WTG and then switch to a 2.5 for ATG and touch up. Doing that with the Flexi for my first shave made me realize that I had to adjust that a little as the 3.5 shaved closer to the 2.5. Later when I compared shaving with both razors, I started with 4 on the Flexi and 3 to finish off. I found this to be the equivalent to my usual 3.5 and 2.5 on my Ambassador. As far as shave quality, I had to admit that it was a tie. both razors were very comfortable and efficient to use, and I ended up with a two pass plus minimal touch up BBS for both.
Overall, the Ambassador was better built and easier to grip, however the Flexi was solid built and did not have any flaws to it. Comparing shaves, both are excellent shavers. the numbers on the Flexi was easier to read, and the red dot being on the side of the adjustment ring instead of on top, just made things easier to adjust during a shave. The big difference is the price. At $250 + $50 for the stand, the Ambassador is almost three times the price of the Flexi, which is $99 (with a free stand). Of course one is made of stainless steel and the other brass, but both are CNC machined using good material.
Both the Ambassador and the Flexi are good size razors, considering how short they are. The Ambassador is made of stainless steel, and the Flexi is made of brass. The Flexi is considerably thicker and as a result, it is almost an ounce heavier than the Ambassador. Both razors use a similar adjustment mechanism. The grip of the Ambassador is very deep and will never slip out of your hands. The Flexi's grip was similar to the stainless steel R41 I reviewed last week where there was a nice grip pattern, but it was not deep enough and especially for a razor that heavy, it was prone to slipping if you were not careful. The grip on the adjustment knob was different where the Ambassador continued the deep cut and spaced the horizontal lines very close together. the Flexi had the lines spaced further apart, however had the red dot on the side of the knob instead of near the top, making it easier to see when adjusting. The numbers were also etched a little darker on the Flexi, making it easier to read.
Both Ambassador and Flexi were etched on the bottom of the base plate. The Ambassador had a serial number with the last two characters going back to the original Gillette date code. The Flexi also had a set of numbers etched in, however I am not sure if it was a unique serial number.
My usual shave routine with an adjustable razor is to start with a 3.5 for WTG and then switch to a 2.5 for ATG and touch up. Doing that with the Flexi for my first shave made me realize that I had to adjust that a little as the 3.5 shaved closer to the 2.5. Later when I compared shaving with both razors, I started with 4 on the Flexi and 3 to finish off. I found this to be the equivalent to my usual 3.5 and 2.5 on my Ambassador. As far as shave quality, I had to admit that it was a tie. both razors were very comfortable and efficient to use, and I ended up with a two pass plus minimal touch up BBS for both.
Overall, the Ambassador was better built and easier to grip, however the Flexi was solid built and did not have any flaws to it. Comparing shaves, both are excellent shavers. the numbers on the Flexi was easier to read, and the red dot being on the side of the adjustment ring instead of on top, just made things easier to adjust during a shave. The big difference is the price. At $250 + $50 for the stand, the Ambassador is almost three times the price of the Flexi, which is $99 (with a free stand). Of course one is made of stainless steel and the other brass, but both are CNC machined using good material.
